15Dec14

Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham advance in northwestern Syria

The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda's official branch in Syria, Ahrar al Sham, and
elements of the Western-backed Free Syrian Army have advanced on regime
positions in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The Al Nusrah Front, supported by jihadist groups Ahrar al Sham and Jund al
Aqsa, and units from the Free Syrian Army, today claimed to have overrun
Wadi Al Daif, a Syrian Army base located just east of the city of Maa'rat al
Nu'man. In addition, Ahrar al Sham, Al Nusrah, and the Free Syrian Army also
advanced on Al Hamadiya, which sits just south of the city; the groups
claimed to have taken partial control of Al Hamadiya.

Control of the two bases is critical for the Syrian military as they straddle the
M5 highway, the main road from Aleppo to Damascus. The military uses the
highway to supply its forces in Aleppo, Idlib, and other areas in northern
Syria. The Syrian military and rebels fought over the two bases from October
2012 until April 2013, when the military broke the siege of Wadi Al Daif and Al
Hamadiya.

The recent round of fighting for control of the two bases intensified over the
weekend. Yesterday, two regime checkpoints near the bases were reported to
have fallen into the hands of the jihadists and the Free Syrian Army. And
today, the Al Nusrah Front reported that its fighters completely overran the
regime at Wadi al Daif, while Ahrar al Sham claimed its forces overran a large
portion Al Hamadiya. In a video posted to YouTube, an Ahrar al Sham leader
says that the group captured 10 tanks and killed dozens of regime soldiers
during the fighting. The claims cannot be independently verified.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that at least 31 Syrian
solders and 12 fighters from Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and "Islamic
battalions" were killed at Wadi al Daif. The Observatory noted that fighting is
still going on for the headquarters of the Al Hamadiya Camp.

The Al Nusrah Front claimed it committed significant resources during the
fighting at Wadi al Daif. Yesterday, the jihadist group stated on its official
Twitter page for Idlib operations that its fighters stormed Wadi Al Daif with 12
tanks. Other tweets detail the use of 23-millimeter cannons as well as
mortars. In several photographs, Nusrah shows a number of its fighters
moving to the front lines of the battle. The group also claimed that it
destroyed several Syrian Army BMP infantry fighting vehicles during the battle.

Ahrar al Sham, a unit in the Islamic Front that is closely allied with al Qaeda's
branch in Syria, coordinated with Al Nusrah by attacking the nearby Al
Hamadiya camp. Tweets on the Islamic Front's official Twitter page feature
photos and several YouTube videos showing Ahrar al Sham fighting in Al
Hamadiya. Another video shows a T-55 tank operated by the jihadist group
firing on regime positions near the camp. A video uploaded today showcases
many weapons, including howitzers and tanks, that Ahrar al Sham captured
during the fighting.

Units from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army also fought alongside the
jihadist groups in Idlib. A Free Syrian Army group known as Division 13 aided
Al Nusrah in Wadi Al Daif. In a video uploaded to YouTube, fighters from
Division 13 fire a BGM-71 TOW antitank missile at a regime BMP. Another
Free Syrian Army group, the Supporters of Truth Brigade, uploaded a video to
YouTube that shows its fighters assisting Ahrar al Sham near the Hamadiya
camp. A group from the Authenticity and Development Front, a coalition of
rebel groups outside of the Free Syrian Army, also helped Al Nusrah at Wadi
al Daif.

Free Syrian Army units have fought alongside the Al Nusrah Front and allied
jihadist groups since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, and continue to do
so to this day. Over the past several months, Free Syrian Army units have
aided Al Nusrah and other groups on several fronts. On Oct. 7, the US-funded
Hazm Movement assisted the Chechen-led Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar
against the regime in Aleppo. On Oct. 5, several Free Syrian Army units
utilized their TOW anti-tank missiles to help Al Nusrah and Ahrar in southern
Syria. And in August, the Syrian Revolutionaries Front helped Al Nusrah and
Ahrar in taking the Quneitra border crossing with the Israeli-held Golan
Heights.

[Source: By Bill Roggio & Caleb Weiss, The Long War Journal, NJ, 15Dec14]

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